Monthly Archives: December 2011

Making a New Year’s Resolution? What is it? Is it health related? Share your New Year’s Resolution on the NutritionSolutions Face book page! https://www.facebook.com/pages/nutritionsolutionsanneguzmancom/196049807128056 by commenting on this post and let NSAG know what kind of information we can post in 2012 tohelp you reach your goal!?NutritionSolutions is here to help you succeed in your health and fitness goals in 2012. Don’t be shy! Putting your goals out there makes you more likely to stick to them! I hope you are enjoying the holiday season wherever this finds you! Looking forward to reading your Resolutions and helping you on your road to success!

It’s considered a complete protein. It contains an ideal balance of all essential amino acids. It’s more easily digested than other rich protein sources. It’s 65-71% protein. It’s loaded with vitamins A through E, as well as iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and folic acid.

This incredibly healthy food is only 7% lipid (fat) of which most is essential fats.

It is low in sodium, which means it’s great for those watching their sodium intake.

This food has such high nutritional value that it has been shown to be excellent for the malnourished due to its high tolerability, and low incidence of side effects. It’s been looked at for its prospective role in long term space missions.

It’s been touted for its ability to reduce inflammation, increase energy, alkalizing the blood, allergy relief, lowering blood pressure and boosting production of antibodies to strengthen the immune system.

IN ADDITION TO THE ONE MONTH CUSTOM FREE PLAN FROM NSAG, ATHLETE OCTANE WILL BE GIVING THE WINNER ONE 32OZ BOTTLE (1 MONTH SUPPLY!) OF ATHLETE OCTANE AS WELL AS A BOX OF 2.5OZ TRAVEL ATHLETE OCTANE!!

BE PREPARED TO ANSWER A QUESTION. IT COULD BE A FACT…OR IT COULD BE A QUESTION ABOUT YOU…GET YOUR THINKING CAPS ON! THE QUESTION WILL COME IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS….AT ANY GIVEN TIME! REMEMBER YOU HAVE TO ‘LIKE’ NUTRITIONSOLUTIONSANNEGUZMAN ON FB TO BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN! I SUGGEST YOU ‘LIKE’ ATHLETE OCTANE TOO!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! If you were able to keep it together from a food perspective…bravo! If not…well…hey…you fell off the horse..just GET BACK ON..and soon. As in tomorrow morning soon. If you got sucked into one too many pieces of pie (or butter tarts! I swear someone forced them on me!) one too many servings of stuffing….and one too many drinks…I’m sure you are not feeling so hot. That alone can often serve as great motivation to GET BACK ON! And if it doesn’t….well you have me :). I can be the little angel on your shoulder! Here is the plan.

First off…if you have a fridge full of desserts staring you in the face you have two choices. FREEZE THEM (unless you are the type who will simply open the freezer by midnight and nuke them and eat them! In which case GIVE THEM AWAY! Get them OUT OF SIGHT! Bring them to the office, to a friend (perhaps not one trying to stick to a plan!). JUST GET THEM OUT OF SIGHT, REACH, AND MIND! Step one. Complete. Trust me this one is big and important :).

Tuesday morning will roll around sooner than you know it..and it’s GO TIME! How are you going to switch off of this “roll” you got on this weekend? Simple. Start the day off right. Don’t let a few days of off the cuff diet throw you into a snowball of a week…or two. Rather tomorrow morning be SURE to start the day off with a very healthy wholesome meal!

Some simple foods will be a great idea to start the day. Perhaps a bowl of oatmeal with some chopped up apple, a 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, cinnamon and a drizzle of 1tbsp of pure maple syrup? Another option, how about some quinoa with yogurt and fresh berries, sprinkled with unsweetened coconut? Need something quicker? Throw together a healthy smoothie! Some unsweetened rice milk or soy/almond milk with a banana, whey protein, some nut butter and a tbsp of psyllium! I’ll be having my Isalean shake with unsweetened rice milk, 1 cup of strawberries and half of a frozen banana! Whatever your choice will be, don’t divert. Decide tonight and stick to it. Have your snacks handy for the day, don’t get sucked into a sweet drink at the cafe or a fat laden muffin. It’s all too easy to get on a roll once you throw a weekend away! A sweet tooth truly can become addictive. You have to put the brakes on and do it in one day.

Snack ideas? Rice crackers and hummus, a fresh fruit and some almonds, dates and a bit of almond butter, fresh cut veggies and tahini or tzatziki. If you didn’t make it to the grocery store over the the holiday weekend and the fridge is a bit bare…I can bet almost everyone has oatmeal in the house! Make a pit stop on the way to work or at lunch and grab your snack foods and a healthy lunch! Didn’t have time to make lunch? Subway is a good option. How about a 6 inch grilled chicken sub with veggies, no cheese, some green olives and honey mustard? A fruit on the side is great. That can fill the spot for the day! Just don’t get sucked into the cookie and Lays chips combo 🙂 ! Another quick option? Have a Chipotle near by? Head in and have a rice “bowl.” Ditch the wrap, ask for extra veggies, 1 cup of rice, some beans and the chunky fresh salsa, squeeze lemon on top and HOLD THE SOUR CREAM! Keep on driving right on by that pizza place calling your name..and definitely accelerate past the burger joint! Keep your eyes straight ahead…focus on the goal. HEALTH.

Often times when we have a few bad days of eating we tend to slide into a bit of a pattern. Sugar can cause you to want more sugar. It’s legit. Nip it in the butt. TOMORROW MORNING. No excuses. Decide now what is for breakfast and stick to it. It’s a CHOICE. Make the right one. WE BOTH KNOW you will feel SO much better about it once the day is complete, you have eaten well..and you know you are BACK ON TRACK!
Remember, all of your hard training needs to be backed up by great nutrition! So think about the POWER, the WEIGHT, and the POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO! If that helps to get you on track!

Feel free to let me know how you did! Comments are always welcome on my blog!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! I wish you a wonderful weekend wherever you are! Just remember to keep things in moderation! You can always have left overs in the form of a great turkey and cranberry sandwich, turkey and stuffing with veggies, or whatever you will be having this weekend! If you keep the portions a normal size and don’t over do it you will be exactly where you left off come Monday morning. Just spread the goodness out over a few days. Christmas meals are typically quite healthy! It’s the dessert that gets us. And the over eating, more so than WHAT is on the plate! (unless of course everything is swimming in gravy ;)) A good rule…simply eat until you are no longer hungry, rather than until you are busting out full! Then have another great Christmas meal the next night! I bet you will feel better this way, hands down! Who likes the food coma? I certainly don’t!

Do have a piece of your traditional family dessert though! Again it’s all about moderation. If there is a great pie at your dinner table this weekend, have a slice! Just not half the pie :)! In my family the winner is hands down my mom’s BUTTER TARTS! But I know full well if I pound a few back I will be in a sugar coma in no time and out for the night! But just one and I am good to go! Again…leftovers! OK who are we kidding…the butter tarts never last in the Guzman household!

Whatever your sport of choice is, give yourself a day off and don’t feel guilty about it! Enjoy the company of your friends and family and have a great holiday weekend. Once Monday rolls around…that’s right…get that focus back and get running, spinning or swimming into a STRONG POWERFUL 2012!!

Looking for a FRESH, new, sweet, low cal snack? I like to focus on real food snacks so I recommended frozen grapes! They are a great natural snack! Whether you like them tart and green or sweet and red, throw them in the freezer and grab a cup or two when you need something to munch on. Calories in one cup, 62. That’s it!

And being the holiday season perhaps you can splash a bit of champagne on them once you pull them out of the freezer ;)!

Up here in the Great North the weather has had us inside for a few days on the trainer (minus those hardened riders riding in the rain!) If you find yourself starting to put in more time on the trainer be sure to be cognizant of your hydration! Often we don’t realize just how much fluid and electrolytes we lose during a trainer workout. A good guideline (although we all have individual sweat rates and require different amounts of hydration and electrolytes) is to weigh yourself with no clothes on both before and after your trainer workout. Post workout, for every pound of fluid lost, consume 1.5 cups of electrolyte and water solution. There are many products on the market that offer electrolytes without the carbohydrates such as Nuun, Eload Zone Caps, and Elete electrolyte add in to mention a few I have tried. Read the directions carefully to correspond with the volume of water you are mixing the product into. Don’t underestimate the fatigue and lack of power that can correspond with dehydration. Stay on top of your fluid and electrolyte intake this trainer season!

Looking for a new way to eat your produce? I am a big fan of the lettuceLESS salad! In fact I’m posting this because I had one tonight and thought I would share the idea for those of you who have never made one! Or it’s been too long since you incorporated one into your meal. It’s simple and can be an explosion of flavors! Just choose your favorite produce and start chopping. Tonight I used 1/2 a zucchini, 3 celery stalks, 1/2 a mango chopped, 1 tbsp of cranberry goat’s cheese, 1/3 of an avocado, 1/3 of an apple chopped and then for dressing, no oil required! Just use white balsamic vinegar and mix with either agave nectar or maple syrup, drizzle, toss and enjoy! It’s really simple but carries a burst of flavors! Other combinations I often use include chopped zucchini, (I’m a fan :-)), strawberries, goat’s cheese, chopped dried (sulfur free) mango, celery slices, shredded carrots and dried cherries. I typically stick with the non oil based light dressing of balsamic with the agave and sometimes with fresh lime juice. You get a tart salad with a bit of sweet and a nutrient dense combination of flavors! Don’t be shy, just try anything. You will be amazed how it often just ends up tasting great!

A quick tip in this hectic holiday season! When you are go go go consider making the filling of your sandwich for a few days rather than just today. If you like a nice egg sandwich, instead of just boiling 2 eggs boil 6. Peel them and mash them all at once (I like to mash them with cottage cheese or plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise). Split the mix into 3 servings and put the 2 extras in a covered bowl in the fridge.. Tomorrow when you are go go go you can save that time boiling eggs or preparing tuna (I also use cottage cheese for tuna sandwiches) by just reaching for the bowl and filling your sandwich. You could even decide to have your lettuce ready and some sliced tomatoes. All prepared for 2-3 days at your fingertips. And voila done! Opt for a healthy bread whem making sandwiches. Steer clear of white bread. Try Ezekiel bread (found in the freezer section) or a 100% whole wheat bread. Be sure the whole wheat bread is 100% whole wheat and that this is also the first ingredient. “Natural” doesn’t mean 100% whole wheat.

Don’t get sucked into the trap of having no prepared lunch and bailing for a less than optimal fast food stop 🙁 that will leave you feeling less than optimal. Save time and prep for a few days. You will reap the benefits of saving money and improving your overall health! It’s a win win!